The Real Big Brainy
by GaDS2000
Summary: Cindy falls for a foreign exchange student who may be even smarter than Jimmy. But when the chips are down, will it be Jimmy that comes through? Rating changed to PG just in case.
1. Part 1 The Great Neutrino

The Real Big Brainy

By Gary D. Snyder

Part 1:

"Thanks for coming by and helping me out with this, guys," said Jimmy as he placed a small box on a table. It was about an hour before school and he, Carl, and Sheen were assembled in Jimmy's lab. "I really needed to show this to someone so that I can get it right before the Science Fair."

"No problem, Jimmy," replied Sheen as he made loop-the-loops in the air with his Ultra Lord action figure. "Whenever danger calls, Ultra Lord will answer!"

"Actually, I think it was Jimmy that called," Carl pointed out.

"Which is why I'm here instead of Ultra Lord," Sheen explained patiently. "Hey, Jimmy, isn't that your hypercube?"

"Not quite, Sheen," Jimmy said. "But you're close. This is my inscrutable Chest of Mystery!"

Intrigued, Carl and Sheen inspected the box closely. It did look like Jimmy's hypercube, except that the sides were black and covered with silver stars and golden crescent moons. "It looks like one of those trick boxes you can get at the magic store," Carl finally ventured.

"Exactly! And now," Jimmy intoned in a deeply theatrical voice "prepare to be amazed by the wondrous prestidigitation of – The Great Neutrino!"

Carl and Sheen looked around them in expectant wonder.

"Meaning me," said Jimmy impatiently.

"Oh. Sorry," Carl apologized.

"Go on," urged Sheen.

Jimmy cleared his throat and continued. "For this next mystifying feat of sorcery, I shall require two willing assistants from the audience."

Again Carl and Sheen looked expectantly about the lab.

"Meaning you," Jimmy clarified, tapping his foot.

"Oh. Right," said Carl stepping forward to the table where Jimmy stood.

"Gotcha," agreed Sheen, joining them. "Continue, if you please, maestro."

Satisfied, Jimmy went on. "Okay. Mr. Estevez, would you please place your Ultra Lord doll –"

"It's an action figure!" Sheen interrupted. "There's a difference! Oh, when will people ever learn?" he lamented.

Jimmy sighed. "Okay, okay. Would you please place your Ultra Lord action figure in the inscrutable Chest of Mystery and close the lid?" When Sheen had done so, Jimmy said, "And now, Mr. Wheezer, would you please hold the inscrutable Chest of Mystery closely so that I can not possibly reach into it?" Carl picked up the box and held it tightly against him. "You will note that at no time have I touched the chest since Sheen put in his doll – I mean, action figure – nor can I possibly open the chest now. But I merely utter the ancient words of conjuration – hocus, pocus, whatajokeus – and –" Jimmy turned his back briefly and then turned back again, the Ultra Lord figure in one hand. "Voila!"

Sheen and Carl gaped at him. "That's incredible, Jimmy!" Sheen exulted. "You have an Ultra Lord action figure too! Let me get mine out of the box and we can re-enact Episode 126 where Ultra Lord battles his evil counterpart from the parallel universe."

"No, Sheen," replied Jimmy, rolling his eyes. "This _is_ your Ultra Lord action figure."

"What? No way! Let me see." Sheen grabbed the box from Carl, flipped open the lid, and peered inside. "Hey! It's gone!"

"I know. I just told you that. It's right here," said Jimmy, holding the toy out to Sheen.

Sheen took back the Ultra Lord figure. "Well, that's okay, Jimmy. Even if you don't have an Ultra Lord figure, maybe you could make a trick out of putting something in your box and making it reappear again, or something."

"That _was_ the trick!" cried Jimmy, exasperated.

"How did you do that, Jimmy?" asked Carl, bewildered. "Do you really know magic?"

That calmed Jimmy down. "Of course not, Carl. There's no such thing as magic. The box is just a simple practical application of hyperdimensional topology."

"Well, then, how does the box work?" Carl wanted to know.

"Sorry," Jimmy chuckled. "But magicians never reveal their magic secrets."

"I thought you said there was no such thing as magic," Sheen pointed out.

Jimmy started to say something but gave it up as a hopeless cause. "All right, fine. First of all, do you know what a Moebius strip is?"  
"Are those the fruit snacks they sell at the grocery store?" asked Carl.

"No, Carl. A Moebius strip is a two-dimensional non-orientable topological object." Carl and Sheen both looked blank. "Umm, okay. I guess you could say it's like a sheet of paper with only one side."

"What a minute. How can you have a sheet of paper with only one side?" demanded Sheen.

"Maybe it's really, really thin," suggested Carl.

"No, no," said Jimmy. "Maybe it would be simpler if I showed you. Look, here's a strip of litmus paper. One side is white, and the other side is orange. Right?"

"Yes, we're with you so far," said Sheen slowly as Carl studied the strip.

"Okay. Now, let me wrap it into a circle like a paper ring so that the orange side of one end joins up with the orange side of the other end. If I start drawing a line on the orange side I can go all the way around the circle and get back to where I started. And, if you look, there's a line on only the orange side. Right?" Jimmy took a pencil and demonstrated.

"Yes, of course," answered Carl.

"Now, to draw a line on the white side, I'd have to lift my pencil. Otherwise there's no way I could get from the orange side to the white side. Also correct?"

"Correct," Sheen replied.

"Okay," Jimmy continued. "So that means that the strip has two separate sides. But now, suppose we take a strip and also fold it into a circle, but this time give the strip a half-twist so that the orange side of one end matches up with the white side of the other end, like so. This is what's called a Moebius strip."

Sheen and Carl looked carefully at what Jimmy had done. "So?" Sheen asked, unimpressed.

"Well, watch. I'm going to start drawing a line on the orange just like before. But now watch what happens. I'll end up on the orange side where I started, but without lifting my pencil notice that I'm also drawing a line on the white side before I get there. Because I can draw a line on both the orange and white parts of the strip without lifting my pencil this strip apparently has only one side."

Sheen took the strip and examined it closely. "That's cool, Jimmy! But what does that have to do with your box?"

"Well, Sheen," explained Jimmy carefully, "Just as a Moebius strip is a non-orientable sheet with only one side so that there really isn't a front or a back to it, there are non-orientable volumes that don't really have an inside or an outside to them. Just like I used a third dimension to twist the paper so that both sides of the paper were connected, I used a fourth dimension to twist the box so that the inside and about 1000 cubic feet of space outside the box were connected. Since the box doesn't really have an inside or an outside, your Ultra Lord figure was never really inside the box at all. Consequently, it was no problem at all for me to get it as long as I was within the 1000 cubic feet of space connected to the interior."

Carl and Sheen looked blank again

Jimmy sighed in defeat. "It's magic," he finally said. "Let's get to school."

* * *

Author's Notes:

The first chapter of a story is always the hardest for me. Typically I first come up with what I think is an interesting story premise with what I hope is an exciting climax, but leading into it isn't easy. On one hand the first chapter has to be both short and interesting enough to grab and hold the reader's attention, but on the other hand has to contain a lot of information so that the story to follow makes sense. In stories with romantic overtones for Jimmy and Cindy (a favorite theme for Jimmy Neutron fans) I really think that there has to be some reason for them to get together. I say this because Jimmy and Cindy have such strong personalities that it would take some literally earth-shaking event to get them together, and these kind of events take some time to develop. I have to keep asking myself, "Why would so-and-so do this?" and then lay the groundwork to have that happen so it doesn't seem slapped together or out of place. In this story, for instance, Jimmy and Cindy…

But I'm getting ahead of myself. You'll find out what I mean in the next chapter.


	2. Part 2 A Glass Act

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 2:

Mondays at Lindbergh Elementary School were rarely a surprise, but today's class was an exception. In addition to the usual assembly of students in Jimmy's classroom there was a new boy that Miss Fowl wasted no time in introducing.

"Students, I kno-o-ow how disappointed you all were when our foreign exchange student Bolbi left last month," she squawked, "so I'm sure you're all as exci-i-ited as I am to meet our new exchange student. Please welcome Jacques Fromage from Brie, France. He's here to participate in our – bra-a-awk - Science Fair this week."

Jacques was taller than average, with light brown hair that was very nearly blond, hazel eyes, and an easy smile. "Good morning," he said in very good English but with a very noticeable French accent. "I am very happy to meet you all and hope for all of us to become very good friends."

"Right back at you," murmured Cindy just loud enough for Jimmy to hear.

"Word that," agreed Libby. "Oh, yeah."

Jacques must have heard them for he gave them both an almost embarrassed but thoroughly charming smile that lasted until Miss Fowl had directed him to his seat behind Libby. As close as his desk was to theirs Jimmy couldn't help but notice that both girls seemed very pleased with the seating arrangements. _Girls_, he thought in uncharacteristically vehement disdain as both Cindy and Libby spent several minutes introducing themselves, welcoming him to the desk, class, school, city, country, and continent, and offering to personally show him around any time he wanted.

After the social pleasantries had finally ended the class settled into its normal routine. Because it was Monday the first order of business was Show and Tell, and one by one the students presented items of personal interest to the rest of the class. When Jimmy's turn came he produced a small projection device resembling a pocket flashlight and launched into his carefully prepared presentation.

"Today," he began, lowering the projection screen and dimming the classroom lights, "I have some follow-up slides to the those I presented last month when I photographed deep sky objects in the vicinity of the Lesser Magellanic Clouds in the Southern Hemisphere. Now prepare yourselves for a treat as I show to you the first known visual image of a genuine and verified black hole!" With that he activated his projector, illuminating the screen with his photograph.

It was, unfortunately, totally black.

"Uh, Jimmy?" Sheen ventured. "I think maybe you forgot to use a flash, or something."

"Well, I did use a flash", Jimmy admitted, "but I guess I miscalculated the proximity of the event horizon. I thought at least some of the photons would have made it back." As the students stirred restlessly Jimmy hastily added, "But it's still okay. If you look carefully, you can see the halo of high-energy particles around the singularity as particles are hyperaccelerated into the gravity well…if you scan the X-ray to cosmic ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum," he concluded somewhat weakly.

Nick yawned. "This is boring, Neutron. Let's get on to something else."

"But –" Jimmy tried to say.

"Yes, Jimmy, move along," Miss Fowl interrupted, turning the class lights back up. "Let someone else have their turn."

Defeated, Jimmy trudged disconsolately back to his desk. "No one appreciates real science," he muttered to himself.

The rest of Show and Tell went on rather predictably, with Sheen discussing yet another of his Ultra Lord collectibles, Carl discussing his favorite "My Lovely Llama" storybook, and Nick abstaining. To everyone's surprise, however, Jacques took a turn, passing out a small box to Miss Fowl and each student before proceeding to the front of the class and beginning his talk.

"My American friends", he began, "I would like to present each of you with a small token of appreciation for having me here as your guest. If you open your boxes you will find inside a piece of moldavite for each of you." Although Jimmy knew what moldavite was no one else in the class did, and everyone opened their boxes with a great deal of curiosity. Inside each box on a piece of cotton lay a small green stone.

"It looks like a broken piece of glass," said Carl.

"Carl!" Miss Fowl reprimanded. "Mind your manners!"

"No, no, Miss Fowl," Jacques reassured her. "He is quite right. It is a piece of glass. But, my friends, it is not ordinary glass. No human hand created it. Millions of years ago a great meteor streaked across the sky and landed in the region now know as Moldavia in the Czech Republic. The great heat of the impact fused the sand of a river there into the green glass you now see before you. They are children of the Universe, born when a piece of Heaven itself touched the Earth."

The students looked at the tiny green stones with new wonder and interest.

"How poetic," said Libby, entranced.

"And romantic," sighed Cindy, gazing at Jacques with open admiration.

__

Typical, thought Jimmy. _Leave it to girls to be impressed with this sort of thing. But no guy would ever be taken in by some pretty or shiny bauble when science -_

"They're so pretty," gushed Carl, interrupting Jimmy's thoughts.

"And shiny!" exclaimed Sheen. "They're just like the energy crystals RoboFiend tried to steal in Episode 246!"

Even Nick had something to say. "Pretty cool, Jack," he complimented. "These are the best science Show and Tell things I've ever seen."

Jimmy sat in stunned silence, his mouth hanging open. He had given the class a glimpse of the real wonders of the universe, and they were fawning over pieces of _glass_?

***

Author's Notes:

And so the conflict begins. Some of you may have noticed that Jacques name in French literally means Jack Cheese, which seems an appropriate name for someone from Brie. I tend to throw in these sort of inside jokes in most of what I write.

For those of you who are interested, there really are such things as moldavites. They belong to a class of objects known as tektites that are molten debris formed when meteors strike the earth. Most tektites are just molten pieces of ordinary rock or metal, but some few like moldavites can be cut and polished like gems. While completely terrestrial in composition and origin, I think that the link they have to the cosmos "out there" makes them fascinating and a good way for Jacques to legitimately upstage Jimmy.


	3. Part 3 When Words Collide

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 3:

Following Show and Tell Miss Fowl proceeded to the lesson plan for the day. Usually the class discussions would be dominated by the verbal sparring of Jimmy and Cindy as each tried to outdo the other, but again Jimmy found himself pitted against Jacques in virtually every subject. Time and again Jimmy found his answers expanded upon in greater depth and finer detail by Jacques, much to the class' growing amazement, Jimmy's increasing annoyance, and Cindy's thinly veiled delight. Things quickly came to a head when the lesson turned to astronomy, one of Jimmy's favorite topics. It began innocently enough, with Miss Fowl posing a simple question.

"Cindy," she clucked, "which planet in the Solar System is furthest from the Sun?"

"Pluto," answered Cindy, smiling smugly at Jimmy.

"Except, of course, when Pluto's highly eccentric orbit causes it to move inside the orbit of Neptune, making it the eighth planet from the Sun, as from early 1979 to early 1999," Jimmy added.

"February 7th, 1979 to February 11th, 1999, to be exact," contributed Jacques.

Jimmy raised his voice slightly. "And it reached its closest point to the Sun –"

"Also known as perihelion," smiled Jacques.

"- in September of 1989 –"

"On the 5th of the month."

"- and will not do so again for another two centuries!" Jimmy finished through clenched teeth.

"232 years and several months, I should think," concluded Jacques calmly.

During this exchange the Miss Fowl and the other students had watched the two open-mouthed, their collective gaze traveling from Jimmy to Jacques and back again like spectators at a championship tennis match. When it at last became apparent that Jimmy had nothing more to add they suddenly became aware that they had been holding their breaths and released it with a mass sigh. As if that were a cue, Jacques added one parting tidbit.

"Of course," he added thoughtfully, "this does not consider the possibility of the famous Planet X, somewhere on the fringe of the Kuiper belt."

"The Kuiper - you – I – " Jimmy spluttered, then slumped silently into his chair in defeat. Involuntarily the rest of the students began to applaud, feeling as though some great contest had been fought and decided. Caught up in the moment, Cindy leaped onto her chair and threw her fist up in the air.

"The king is dead! Long live the king!" she cheered.

The spontaneous celebration that ensued lasted for several minutes before Miss Fowl was finally able to restore order. When calm and order once again prevailed she cleared her throat and said, "Yes, well, that was very…uh…interesting. Are there any – bra-a-awk – questions?"

Carl meekly raised his hand. "Miss Fowl?"

"Yes, Carl?"

"Um…will all this be on the test? The stuff about the periscope and the copper belt and the king dying and everything?" 

Miss Fowl removed her glasses, cleaned them carefully, replaced them, and cleared her throat again before speaking. "No, Carl," she answered calmly. "It will not be on the test. There will be no test."

All the students were dumbstruck, instinctively sensing that the situation was very, very perilous. Finally Sheen broke the silence by asking, "Why won't there be a test?"

"Because, She-e-en," Miss Fowl replied, still in a dangerously calm voice, "I won't be here. I'll be in a sanitarium, where I can live in my happy imaginary world where the teachers know more than the students. For now, you are all excused for lunch."

"But it's only 10:45 AM," Libby pointed out.

"It's noon in _my_ world!" Miss Fowl screeched. "Now get to lunch!"

The students needed no further prompting and scurried from the classroom, although Jimmy left much more slowly than he usually did and was the last one to leave. When he had gone, Miss Fowl buried her face in her hands. "Oh, how I miss Bolbi!" she moaned to no one in particular. "He was such an easy student to teach. Clap, clap, clap! Slap, slap, slap! Clap, clap, clap!…"

End of Part 3.

Author's Notes:

The question about the furthest planet from the Sun was a favorite bar bet type of trivia question back in the 1980's and 1990's because Pluto was in fact closer to the Sun than Neptune was back then. It seemed a very good question for letting Jimmy and Jacques slug it out and a believable way for everyone to accept Jacques as being the smarter of the two. 

On a lighter note I've always wondered just how Miss Fowl would react if her students kept demonstrating that they apparently knew more than she did. Considering her difficult situation, I have a lot of respect for her being able to keep her class in line as well as she does.


	4. Part 4 Mr Nobody

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 4:

As Cindy and Libby headed to the cafeteria with Jacques in tow, Jacques asked, "Miss Fowl, she has a problem?"

"No, no problem," answered Cindy quickly. "She just needs a little alone time right now."

"Yeah," added Libby. "I think the bank called to say that her last reality check bounced."

"Ah," said Jacques, who totally missed the meaning of Libby's comment. "I have heard that the teachers do not make so much money. It is very sad."

With lunchtime over an hour away most of the students simply sat at the tables to talk and wait for lunch to be served. Jimmy found a table as far away as possible from most of the other kids and sat alone, brooding over the events of the morning. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice that Carl and Sheen had joined him until Sheen had calling him. After the third time he finally looked up.

"Oh. Hi, Sheen. Hey, Carl. What's up? I thought you'd be sitting with Jacques."

"Well, you know, he's not really all that interesting," said Carl. "He doesn't seem to know much about llamas."

"Yeah, or about Ultra Lord," Sheen said. "Besides, it's pretty crowded over there." As soon as he said this, Carl punched him. "Ouch! What?" Sheen demanded.

"It's okay, Carl," said Jimmy. "It's not Sheen's fault that Jacques is so popular, even if there's no reason for him to be." _Especially after only half a school day, _he thought angrily. It had taken nearly two months before anyone had spoken to Jimmy when he had started at Lindbergh Elementary.

"Well, there are those cool moldavites he gave out," Sheen pointed out.

The mention of the moldavites irritated Jimmy. "They're glass, Sheen," he said bitterly. "It's not like they're asterubies, or even novamethysts. They're just glass."

"They aren't just glass, Jimmy," explained Sheen condescendingly. "They're children of the Universe, born when a piece of Heaven itself -"

Jimmy's bellow of utter disgust interrupted Sheen's discourse. "I can't believe this!" he cried out in frustration. "I spend three weeks trying to explain the Pythagorean Theorem to you, and you can memorize verbatim something that Jacques says only once?" 

"Well, Jacques is pretty smart, Jimmy," said Carl. "But you're still pretty smart, too," he added hastily in response to Jimmy's glare.

"Yeah, Jimmy," said Sheen. "Being the second smartest kid in school isn't so bad. Maybe you could, like, get a naked mole rat and be Jacques' sidekick, or something. And you'll still get good grades in class."

"That's not the point, Sheen. It's not about being smart."

"Well, what is it about, Jimmy?" Carl asked.

Jimmy hesitated. "Well," he answered slowly, "You've probably noticed that I'm probably the least popular kid in class."

"Don't worry about that, Jimmy," Carl told him. "You're selling yourself way short."

"I am?" Jimmy asked, perking up a little.

"Oh sure," Carl went on. "You're probably the least popular kid in school."

"Or maybe even Retroville," Sheen commented.

"Or even -"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Jimmy said, interrupting Carl. "But that's the point. I'm not tall, or athletic, or cool, or anything that means anything to anyone. The only thing that made me special was being the smartest. If I'm just smart, I really won't be anybody that matters anymore. I'll be…nobody," he finished sadly.

At that moment Cindy and Libby came up, both laughing about something. If they had heard Jimmy's speech they made no sign of it. "Well, well, if it isn't the Wizard of Lose," Cindy commented.

Jimmy was in no mood to argue. "What is it, Vortex?" he shot back tersely.

"Wow, who rattled your cage?" asked Libby in mock surprise. "Oh, right. Jacques."

"Just ignore it, Libby," said Cindy. "Nerd-tron just can't handle that there are some people who have both intelligence _and_ charisma."

This set Jimmy off. "Like who?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Jacques," replied Cindy and Libby in unison.

"And Cindy," observed Carl, playing with his moldavite.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Sheen called out in excitement. "And that astronomy guy that used to be on TV. I can't remember his name, but I know I've heard it billions and billions of times."

"Face it, Neutron," Cindy concluded, "Jacques is everything you could never hope to be."

Jimmy had had enough. "Okay, Vortex," he said, getting up and advancing on Cindy. "You just keep believing that. Because Friday at the Science Fair my project is going to make your precious Jacques' project look as backward as the Lamarckian theory of evolution." It was a fairly lame threat as far as it went, but to Jimmy's surprise Cindy simply smiled knowingly at him.

"That's what you think, Neutron," she said smugly as she and Libby turned to walk away. "After Friday, no one in Retroville will even remember that you were ever here." And with that the girls again burst into laughter, walking back toward Jacques' table and leaving Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen in stupefied silence.

End of Part 4.

Author's Notes:

Although he's usually just a supporting character I really like writing Sheen. Except where Ultra Lord is concerned nothing ever seems to really dampen his spirits which lightens the mood of things. In addition, his comments often lend a touch of surreality to things that make things more fun.

Readers familiar with Toon Disney will immediately catch the reference to the naked mole rat. For the others the simplest explanation is to refer them to Kim Possible.


	5. Part 5 Game, Set, and Match

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 5:

Jimmy spent the rest of the lunch period picking at his food and trying to unravel the meaning behind Cindy's words. While he usually would have dismissed her claims as mere boasting the events of the day thus far had shaken his confidence. It was clear that Cindy and Libby knew something that he didn't. But what? What could Jacques be planning that was so brilliant and awe-inspiring that they were sure that Jimmy's project couldn't possibly compare to it?

"Don't worry about it, Jimmy," Sheen told him cheerfully. "After all, it's not what you have that makes you great. It's how you use it. Just like in Episode 89, where Robo Fiend manages to steal all of Ultra Lord's powers. But they didn't make him a hero. He only used them for evil," he concluded sadly, shaking his head.

Carl nodded in agreement. "That's right, Jimmy. You always have lots of good ideas on how to do things. There's no way that Jacques could possibly have something better than you, no matter how smart he is."

"Yeah, like that black hole you photographed. I'll bet Jacques would never had thought to do something like that," Sheen observed.

Jimmy nodded, but was far from convinced. He started to say something when Carl spoke up. "Uh, Jimmy? Aren't all holes black?"

Jimmy sighed. "No, Carl. A black hole isn't really a hole. It's actually an intense gravity well so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape it. That's what makes it black. But you can think of it as a hole so steep and deep that nothing that get can out again."

"Kind of like math camp," explained Sheen.

"Oh," Carl said in dawning comprehension. "Now I get it."

Jimmy tried to set Carl right but was again interrupted, this time by the bell marking the end of lunch period. He shelved the explanation, made a mental note to correct Carl's misconceptions later, and headed back to class with his friends. When class resumed Miss Fowl seemed much more like herself again and she proceeded without delay with the afternoon's scheduled activities. Because the Science Fair was scheduled for Friday, this consisted of each student describing and discussing his or her planned project for the fair.

As Jimmy waited for his turn he decided that if frivolous geegaws like meteoric glass impressed the class that he would give them a presentation that would do justice to P.T. Barnum himself. As soon as Carl had finished describing his project to trace the evolution of the llama from something called a llamasaurus, Jimmy walked slowly and deliberately to the front of the class, turned with a flourish, and made his announcement in a manner decidedly worthy of the great showman himself.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Children of all ages!" he boomed. "Isaac Asimov once proclaimed that any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic. My project is to prove this claim. Come one, come all, and behold the Great Neutrino - meaning me - as he performs before your very eyes deeds of enchantment and mystery that will both thrill and amaze you! This Friday night only, come and experience the _awe_.the _wonder_.the _excitement incarnate_ that is - the MAGIC OF SCIENCE!" And with those words Jimmy bowed low before his transfixed classmates and teacher. His words had the effect he had desired, for the class broke into spontaneous applause when he had finished, just as it had for Jacques that morning. Even Cindy seemed impressed.

Jimmy made his way back to his desk with satisfaction. "Let's see Jacques beat that, Vortex," he remarked as he took his seat.

Cindy smiled that infuriatingly smug smile. "You may have won a battle, Neutron. But the war is far from over."

The presentations went on, progressing though Sheen's project to set up an Ultra Lord episode database, Nick's project to develop a scale to accurately measure cool, Cindy's project on alternate energy sources, and Libby's project to enhance the audio performance of her personal sound system. Finally, it was time for Jacques to give his presentation for the last project.

"My friends," he said with his characteristic smile, "I have the honor to present to you a most wonderful device. It is a refinement of the project that won for me the European competition. I propose to present for you this Friday a working model of the MAMBO reactor."

At this Jimmy leaped up and strode to the front of the room to confront Jacques. "Now wait one Neutronic minute!" he said, stabbing his right forefinger in the palm of his left hand for emphasis. "The rules of the fair state quite clearly that no project can use or produce any radioactive materials. Isn't that right, Miss Fowl?"

"Well, yes," answered Miss Fowl. "While there have been no real problems with that in the past, I'm afraid that some of parents were rather conce-e-erned about some of Jimmy's previous entries and the school board insisted."

Jacques seemed unconcerned. "It is quite all right, Miss Fowl. The reactor does not involve any of these radioactive materials of which you speak."

That set Jimmy back. "What do you mean? Every fission reactor uses -"

"It is not a fission reactor," Jacques responded.

_Game_, Cindy said to herself with satisfaction.

Jimmy tried again. "Well, even a fusion reactor -"

"It is not a fusion reactor."

_Set_, thought Cindy.

"Well, what kind of reactor doesn't involve fission or fusion?" Jimmy demanded to know. Jacques' calm answer left him and the rest of the class stunned and speechless.

"It is a matter anti-matter reactor."

_And match_, Cindy concluded, smiling beatifically.

End of Part 5.

Author's Notes:

Someone once said that history never remembers the easy victories. It's when the odds are all against you and things look hopeless that the real heroes are born. Before it's all over Jimmy and the others will see that Sheen really was right about greatness.


	6. Part 6 A Matter of Matter

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 6:

Jimmy was flabbergasted, his mouth hanging open. "You're building…a total conversion reactor…for the Science Fair?" he managed to blurt out at last.

"I have already built it," Jacques answered. "For the Science Fair I will present some refinements to the original design."

"What's the matter, Neutron?" Nick called out. "Don't you have a matter anti-matter reactor?"

"Well, its just - I never needed – I'm not zoned for anti-matter," Jimmy stammered. "And neither is this school!" he suddenly declared, pointing an accusing finger at Jacques. "Miss Fowl, you can't possibly –"

"Sit down, Jimmy," Miss Fowl told him. She had no desire to experience another altercation between Jimmy and Jacques. "Jacques is our guest, and you've had your turn."

"Yeah, Jimmy, sit down. Let Jacques tell us about his project," Libby agreed.

"Don't make me come up there and pound you, Neutron!" Butch threatened.

A murmur of agreement went around the classroom. Faced with the overwhelming opposition to his objections to Jacques' project, Jimmy returned to his desk, trying to ignore Cindy's smirk. As he sank into his seat he couldn't help but notice the buzz of anticipation among the students. Although only two or three students really knew anything about nuclear physics the class had seen enough science fiction movies and TV shows to know that anti-matter reactors were the stuff of the far future. The fact that even Jimmy was stunned by Jacques' proposed project only fueled their curiosity.

Jacques continued with his presentation, explaining the basics of his reactor and the matter anti-matter reaction at the heart of its design. The mechanics were actually very simple. All matter is made up of atoms, each of which consists of nucleus, containing positively charged protons and neutral neutrons, surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. In contrast anti-matter is made up of atoms composed of a negatively charged nucleus containing neutrons and negative protons and around which positively charged positrons orbited. By itself matter was stable, as the like charges of the orbital clouds and nuclei of the atoms naturally repelled each other. The same was true of anti-matter by itself. When matter and anti-matter atoms were placed together, however, the equal and opposite charges would rapidly accelerate the two together and cause them to collide at extremely high velocity. At this point, the matter and anti-matter were totally converted into energy according to Einstein's famous equation E = mc2, releasing vast amounts of energy. The only problems were obtaining the volatile anti-matter and safely containing both it and the reaction. Jacques reactor, he claimed, solved both problems.

"Any questions?" asked Jacques when he had finished.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Sheen said, waving his hand. "Does anti-matter have anti-gravity?"  
Jacques gave Sheen an indulgent smile. "No. The charges and phases of the anti-matter are exactly opposite to that of the matter, but other properties, such as gravity, are the same."

"Bummer," responded Sheen. "Well, back to Plan B." He took out a hand-drawn picture of his titled "Ultra Lord Flying Suit", scratched out "Anti-gravity" on it, and pencilled in "Balloons".

"Any other questions?"

"Yes," said Jimmy. "Where exactly do you get the anti-matter, and how do you contain it?"

Jacques hesitated. "That I am afraid must wait until the presentation, as the details are…somewhat involved."

"Still –" began Jimmy, but Cindy cut him off.

"Neutron, will you give it a rest?" she said impatiently. "This is just an overview. I'm sure Jacques will be happy to discuss this all with you when he presents his reactor design on Friday."

"Yeah, Jimmy, cut the man some slack," Libby agreed.

Jimmy subsided but was still sullen and suspicious. _There's something not right here_, he thought. _I just can't put my finger on it without more evidence – I mean information, _he corrected himself.

With the Science Fair presentations out of the way the remainder of class passed fairly uneventfully, although Jimmy was uncharacteristically withdrawn and uncommunicative. He contributed nothing during the open discussions, and even when asked a direct question Miss Fowl replied with only a word or two, leaving Jacques and Cindy to take the lead in the class. Unlike when Cindy and Jimmy participated together, however, Cindy and Jacques seemed to complement each other rather than compete, and the class went by quickly. When class did end Jimmy left alone rather than wait for Carl or Sheen, which was also unlike him.

"That was a fascinating discussion," Cindy commented to Jacques as the two were leaving the classroom.

"Thank you," replied Jacques. "You are very kind. The reactor is very important to me and I sometimes talk too much. If only…" His words trailed off and he sighed.

"What?" asked Cindy. "If only what?"

"Well," Jacques answered after a pause, "it is a shame it is only a model. If only I had the power it would work, of this I am certain. But to make it work takes a great deal of energy. One, or perhaps two, terajoules. But such a thing is not possible." 

Cindy laughed. "One or two terajoules? Good luck. You'd need one of Neutron's energy cells to get that much energy."

"Neutron's energy cells?" Jacques said, staring intently at her.

"Yes," Cindy went on, not noticing Jacques intense stare. "He uses them in some of his gadgets that need a lot of power, like his shrink ray and his quantum replay gizmo. Unfortunately, he usually doesn't let other people use his things. Too many accidents."

"Yes, unfortunately…" Jacques remarked thoughtfully as he and Cindy walked down the empty hall together. "Unfortunately…" 

End of Part 6.

Author's Notes:

The plot begins to thicken, at last…


	7. Part 7 Doing the MAMBO

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 7:

"Okay, Carl, what is this thing again?" asked Sheen, pointing to one of the creative, albeit it somewhat unusual, drawings on Carl's project poster. It looked very similar to a llama except for the sharp teeth and long scaly tail covered with spikes.

"That's the _Llamasaurus Rex_," replied Carl. "It lived during the Jurassic Park Era."

"Uh-huh. And this?" Sheen was now pointing to another llama with what could only be described as an elephant's trunk and long, curved tusks.

"Oh, that's the wooly llamadon. It evolved during the Ice Age and was hunted to extinction by cave men."

Sheen shook his head. "You know, Carl, I don't believe you really did a lot of research on this. I've never seen half of the things you have here. Well, that's not exactly true. I have seen half of them, but just not put together with the other half you have them with. And whoever heard of a duck-billed llamapus?"

It was Friday afternoon and because the Science Fair entries were considered to be major school projects all of the students in Miss Fowl's class had been permitted to spend part of each afternoon working on them in the school auditorium. As well as giving the students the chance to perfect their entries for Friday evening's main event this had also allowed them to observe the other projects and offer suggestions and constructive criticism. Sheen had taken to the latter opportunity with gusto.

"It's a marsupial that lived in Austria a long, long time ago," Carl retorted.

"You mean Australia."

Carl shook his head. "No, I don't think it was that long ago."

Not knowing how to respond to this answer Sheen decided to check on Jimmy, who was at that moment working on something underneath his project table. Wrapped around the table was a banner reading "THE MAGIC OF SCIENCE" and on the table were a variety of Jimmy's inventions. Some of them were unfamiliar to Sheen, but several of them he recognized from past experiences with them. He picked up one of the familiar-looking gadgets and inspected it closely, noticing that it seemed lighter than he remembered.

"Hey, Jimmy, what's your shrink ray doing here? Everyone's already seen that."

From somewhere under the table Jimmy answered, "I needed to make a few modifications to the density compensator for my act tonight."

__

That must explain why it feels so light, though Sheen. "Why did you need to change the density condensator?" he asked.

Jimmy emerged from where he had been working, looking sweaty and disheveled. The truth of the matter was that he had not slept much in the past few days and was not at his best at that moment. "Density COMPENSATOR," he snapped. "Before the shrink ray would make things heavier when they got bigger and lighter when they got smaller. Now the mass and weight of the object remains the same regardless of how big or small it gets." He crawled back under the table.

"Why did you have to do that?"

Jimmy didn't even bother to reappear this time when he answered with noticeable irritation. "Because I didn't want a rabbit to weigh 600 pounds when I made it 6 feet tall and it started jumping around. The floor of the auditorium couldn't handle the stress and it could ruin my tricks."

"Silly rabbit. Tricks are for kids," commented Sheen as he wandered over to Jacques' project. Because Cindy's project was on alternative energy sources it was only natural that she would merge her project with Jacques' innovative energy project, and she was discussing the MAMBO reactor, which was about the size and shape of a small refrigerator, with him. Jacques seemed very excited about something.

"Are you sure?" Cindy was asking as Sheen wandered up. "I thought you said you didn't have the power to start it up."

"Yes, yes, so I thought. But I have overcome that problem. Watch, if you please, the light on the table." Jacques turned to the reactor, threw what appeared to be the main power switch , and turned a large knob on the front of the device. After a long moment the bulb began to glow, slowly growing brighter as the three watched.

"That's not bad, Jacques," admitted Sheen, "but I think Edison beat you to it about 125 years ago."

"It's not the light bulb that's the project, you lug nut," snapped Cindy. "It's the reactor. Jacques's invention is actually working and supplying power to the light."

"Yes!" exclaimed Jacques as he danced about in unrestrained exuberance. "I knew it would work! I knew it!" Without warning he stopped cavorting about. To Cindy's utter astonishment he suddenly pulled her close and kissed her before resuming his delighted capering.

Cindy was overwhelmed with a confused mix of emotions, half-hoping that no one had seen the kiss and yet half-wishing that everyone had. She noticed Sheen staring at her with an odd expression on his face. "What are you looking at?" she demanded in a defensive tone, wondering if he had been one who had seen.

Sheen pointed to the light bulb he had been watching. "Is it supposed to be that bright?" he asked, squinting.

Cindy looked and saw that the radiance from the bulb was growing and was now almost blinding. It was so bright that even students on the far side of the auditorium were beginning to notice it. "Jacques, could you tone it down a bit?" she asked, feeling somewhat relieved that the bulb has turned attention away from Jacques' kiss.

"Yes, of course," replied Jacques happily as he turned the large knob to the left. The bulb dimmed momentarily, but began to brighten again. "That is most strange," he murmured, frowning slightly. He again to turned the knob to the left, this time as far as the knob would go. Again the bulb dimmed, but when it began to grow brighter once again Cindy could not help but notice that Jacques looked concerned and even a bit worried. Almost in desperation he gripped a large lever mounted on the side of the reactor and pulled it down, still watching the light bulb. From inside the device Cindy and Sheen heard the sound of large relays throwing, and the bulb went out. After several anxious moments with the light showing no signs of coming on again, Jacques relaxed.

"Was that supposed to happen?" asked Cindy.

Jacques shook his head, apparently baffled. "Possibly there a loose wire inside the containment circuitry. I should look to see." With that he disengaged several catches on a side panel of the reactor and began to probe inside the complicated circuitry within. Cindy looked over his shoulder with interest, trying to make sense of the wires and connections. As she was taking it all in she suddenly stiffened, noticing something that should not have been there. Before Jacques could stop her she reached inside and pulled it out of the reactor, not really wanting to believe what it was but unable to deny the proof of her own eyes.

It was one of Jimmy's energy cells. There was no way Jimmy would have loaned one to Jacques, even had they been on good terms which was clearly not the case. There was only one explanation, and Jacques' shamefaced expression only confirmed her worst suspicions. He had somehow gotten it without Jimmy's permission. He had _stolen_ it!

Cindy looked up in confusion, wondering what to say or do, and if it were actually possible immediately felt even worse. Standing not ten feet away was Jimmy, who had been attracted by the blinding radiance earlier and was now staring at the energy cell in her hand. He looked up into Cindy's face with a look that went beyond mere hurt. Cindy, understanding immediately his misconceptions about the situation, began stammering an explanation. "No…I didn't…it wasn't …I would never…" she faltered.

She didn't get any further than that. Without a word Jimmy turned and ran from the auditorium.

End of Part 7.

Author's Notes:

This is probably the longest chapter in the story, which is a hint that things are heading for the big showdown as a lot of things had to be established here. As grim as these turns of events are I tried to lighten things up a bit with Carl and Sheen doing the introduction to this chapter. Carl and Sheen react well together and I think any story benefits from their involvement. I also wanted them around for the big finish in the next few chapters.


	8. Part 8 To Serve Man

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 8:

Cindy stood there paralyzed as Jimmy fled, not certain whether to go after him or wait until later to try and set things right. Her inaction made the decision for her as the chance to follow him vanished. After Jimmy had gone her remorse about what Jacques' had done to Jimmy turned to anger at Jacques for his having done it. "How could you have done that?" she shouted at Jacques, waving the energy cell at him. "How could you have stolen one of Jimmy's energy cells, and then lied to me about it?"

Jacques looked guilty, but attempted to smooth things over as best he could. "I am sorry," he replied. "It was wrong, I know, to have done so. But I assure you I would have returned it, and let everyone know that I had used it to make the reactor work. It is just that I have worked so long. To know that the means to prove my reactor was in my reach was too much for me. I was wrong. I am sorry."

"Well…" Cindy thought of the times that Jimmy's zeal had carried him away and the problems that had inevitably resulted. Her anger subsided somewhat, but was far from gone. "That may be so. But now Jimmy thinks that I did it. I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to explain it to him." She still remembered that she herself had told Jacques about Jimmy's energy cells and felt at least partly responsible for the situation.

"I will explain it all to him, I promise. I am sure your friend will understand. He may never forgive me, but you at least he will."

"How do you know that?"

Jacques gave her a knowing half-smile. "It is easy enough to for one man to see when another cares a great deal about you. He will not so easily turn his back on you."Despite the situation Cindy felt her cheeks warming at the hint that Jimmy actually harbored feelings for her. Before she get out a denial Jacques resumed speaking.

"In the meantime, do you think it would be all right to use the energy cell for the presentation this evening? With Jimmy's permission, of course."

Cindy considered this. The damage had already been done, and the reactor did mean a great deal to Jacques. "I suppose so." She handed the cell to Jacques. "But you be sure that you let everyone know that it was Jimmy's invention that let you get it working."

"_Mais oui!_" Jacques replied happily. "I mean, yes, absolutely. Before then, I must check out the reactor to see what happened just now. I do not understand why I could not stop the reaction without using the auxiliary power to strengthen the containment field. I will check out the circuits and run another test. In the meantime, could you do me a great favor?"

"What's that?"

"My English is not always good, especially with technical matters. Could you review my notes and perhaps correct where the grammar is not so good so that I will not make more mistakes this evening?"

Jacques' penitence and humility was charming, and Cindy found herself unable to refuse. At least this was something she could do with a clear conscience, and so, a few minutes later, she was in the computer lab reviewing his design notes and presentation regarding the MAMBO reactor. Although Cindy was not a nuclear physicist the notes were very complete, heavily annotated, and actually quite interesting to read. Cindy soon lost all track of time as she delved into the details of the reactor's theory of operation.

The reactor operated much as Jacques had described in class on Monday but there were additional details. The reaction was initiated by converting some of the matter contained in the reactor core to anti-matter according to a string of conversion equations that Cindy couldn't decipher completely but could understand from Jacques' notes. Just as atoms consisted of protons, electrons, and neutrons each of these particles were composed in turn of even smaller particles called quarks. The initiation equation described how these quarks were reconfigured to form anti-matter. The process took a lot of energy and this was why Jacques had needed one of Jimmy's energy cells to power the reaction.

After the initial seed of anti-matter had been formed, the anti-matter and an equal amount of matter annihilated each other, releasing a great deal of energy. Some of this energy was used to power the containment field, and some converted by the reactor into useful energy such as the electricity that had caused the light bulb. The rest…

At first Cindy felt a sense of _déjà vu_ because the rest of the conversion equation looked familiar. She flipped back a page to look at the initiation equation, then turned again to the conversion equation. She did this twice more just to verify what she had first thought. Part of the conversion reaction involved the process used to create anti-matter. The only difference was that the reaction created just a little more anti-matter than what had created it. It was almost like the reactor was a breeding ground for anti-matter, or –

Cindy suddenly froze. Breeding?

Slowly she moved her finger over the name of the reactor, speaking out loud as she pointed to each letter. "Matter. Anti. Matter. Breeder. Output. Reactor." She leaned back in her chair. Cindy knew about breeder fission reactors. They were fission reactors that produced more fuel than was used for the fission reaction needed to create it. The MAMBO reactor was a breeder reactor. But instead of radioactive material like plutonium or uranium this reactor produced anti-matter.

Feverishly Cindy dug deeper into Jacques' notes. Jacques had designed the reactor so that the strength of the containment field would increase as the cube of the size of the reaction. On the face of it this made sense. If the reaction area was twice as large the volume would be eight times as big and the field should be eight times as big to contain the reaction. What this ignored was the fact that the number of interactions inside was increasing exponentially. Cindy was familiar with the old math problem about taking a penny and doubling it every day. At the end of a week you'd have about a dollar. At the end of a month you'd be a billionaire.

It all made sense now. Why the light bulb kept getting brighter. Why the containment field hadn't been strong enough to stop the reaction. Why Jacques had needed to use auxiliary power to shut the reactor down. The anti-matter reaction had been running out of control. They had run the reactor for only a few minutes and had barely been able to stop the reaction in time. If the reaction had run much longer nothing would have been able to shut it down.

Suddenly another chilling thought struck Cindy. Jacques had mentioned running another test once he had checked out the reactor's circuitry. That had been almost half an hour ago. Without another thought Cindy slammed through the door of the computer lab and raced back towards the auditorium, praying she wasn't already too late.

End of Part 8.

Author's Notes:

The dam bursts.

The title of this chapter, "To Serve Man", is taken from a classic Twilight Zone episode based on a short story by Damon Knight. Without spoiling the punch line for those who have never seen the episode, the story is about a race of aliens who come to Earth with an offer to end war, poverty, disease, and famine, and generally better the condition of the human race. Some humans are suspicious, but can't seem to find any evidence that the aliens are lying. The only clue is a book left behind by the aliens. After intense efforts the humans are able to translate the title, which is "To Serve Man", which seems to support the aliens' apparently peaceful intentions. At the end of the episode the hero of the story gets a shock when the rest of the book is translated. Because the crux of this story is based on Jacques' book "To Serve Man" seemed an appropriate reference.


	9. Part 9 Crises

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 9:

Cindy burst into the auditorium, startling most of the few students that were still present. She immediately saw that the light bulb connected to the reactor was lit up and that Jacques seemed to be calm, almost pleased, with how things were going. As Cindy ran up to him to tell him to shut down the reactor, he heard her approach and looked up. He smiled at her. "Ah, Cindy. Very good. As I suspected, there was a loose wire or two in the control circuits. The reactor is functioning normally."

Slightly breathless from running, Cindy asked, "You've been able to shut it down?"

"Yes, of course. Twice. This is the third time, and as you can see the containment field control is working as expected." Jacques twisted the knob back and forth, causing the bulb to brighten and dim as he did so.

Cindy breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently her fears had been groundless. "How long has it been running?"

"For 10 minutes this time. Much longer than last time."

__

I must be losing it, Cindy thought. _I was sure that I was right._

"Why did you run here? You have something important to tell me?"

Cindy gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well, I thought that I found something wrong in your notes, but I guess…" Her voice faded away as she stared at the auxiliary power lever, the one that Jacques had used to shut down the reaction before. It was still down. "Jacques," she whispered, "did you remember to shut off the auxiliary power when you ran your tests?"

Surprised, Jacques followed her gaze to the lever and his face went blank as he realized his oversight. With the added power connected he would of course have been able to shut down the reactor, just as he had before. "Yes, apparently, but still –" he began.

"Shut it off," said Cindy urgently. "Shut it off _now_."

"I am certain that –" Jacques tried again.

"_Shut it off now!_"

There are some tones that women use that wise men have learned to obey without argument or question. This was one of them. Jacques turned to the reactor and twisted the containment field control dial all the way to the left. The light bulb dimmed considerably but did not quite go out. Cindy's fear changed to terror as she saw the bulb grow slightly brighter as she watched. Jacques noticed it as well and understood the situation all too clearly.

"Is there any other way to stop the reaction?" Cindy asked.

Jacques turned to her, his face drained of all color and his voice barely audible. He sounded like a judge who was reluctantly pronouncing sentence on a condemned criminal. "No. I cannot."

Cindy's voice seemed to come from a thousand miles away but had the conviction of someone who had lived through a hundred impossible escapes. "I know someone who can."

__

But where is Jimmy? she asked herself. _And how can I reach him in time?_

Jimmy at that moment was sitting with Goddard on a grassy bank at the edge of the drainage canal near his house. He had always found this a good place when he wanted to think or be alone, and after leaving the auditorium he had come here rather than go home. As always Goddard had managed to track him down and had played the part of a good listener as Jimmy related his woes.

" I don't know, boy," he was saying. "It seems like Retroville has a new genius in town and I'm not really needed any more. I can understand that. It's like Dad says – no matter how smart you are you'll always find someone smarter than you are someday so there's no point in trying to be the top duck in the pond your whole life. But he also says there's no 'I' in 'win' so maybe I don't understand anything he's saying."

Goddard barked in agreement.

"But Cindy!" Jimmy brooded on that. "We've never been very good friends, or close friends, or sometimes even friends, but I never thought she'd do what she did. I can see why she might think that Jacques is interesting and want to spend time with him, but stealing my own energy cell to make me look bad? How much must she really hate me to do that?" He sighed. "And I know that Jacques is interested in her. I mean, she's pretty, and smart, and fun to be with – I mean for a girl and when she's not being a pain – so maybe everything is working out for the best for them. But what am I supposed to do? Goddard – options!"

Goddard's front plate lifted, revealing his video screen. On it appeared the words:

RUN AWAY FROM HOME

Despite his blue mood Jimmy couldn't repress a smile. "I'm not five years old anymore, Goddard. Next?"

The previous message disappeared, to be replaced with:

BUILD A BETTER MOUSE TRAP AND SHOW UP JACQUES

Jimmy shook his head. "That's no good, Goddard. I've already built six, or seven if you count the one the government confiscated. No one seems to be impressed with that sort of thing. Next?"

Again the screen cleared and displayed the new message:

BELIEVE IN YOUR FRIENDS

"Believe in my friends?" Jimmy pondered that. "I don't know if that's really the problem, Goddard. I think it's more like they don't believe in me. Still…maybe that's what I have to believe in. Maybe I have to believe that I still matter to them, even if it seems that I don't. Maybe." He yawned and stretched. "I suppose that we should be heading home for dinner soon, but I guess we can hang around here a little while longer. I kind of want to be alone still. And it's not like anyone needs us right now."  


End of Part 9.

Author's Notes:

Although Hugh Neutron never said, "Remember, son, there's no 'I' in 'win'" it sounds exactly like something he would say, and just when he was trying to make a point to Jimmy. Next to Sheen I like writing Jimmy's dad but the story would be way too long if I included him in this one.

The disadvantage about a written story compared to a TV show or movie is that there is no effective way to do a split-screen where simultaneous action can go on. In this chapter I really wanted to Jimmy to question how much he was needed just as Cindy realized how much he was needed. Unfortunately, this is the best I can do. Hopefully it's good enough to tie the story together effectively.


	10. Part 10 Brain Blast

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 10:

Cindy racked her brain, trying frantically to think of some way to contact Jimmy. She had tried calling Jimmy's parents on her cell phone but neither of them had known where Jimmy was, and she had asked Libby, Sheen, and Carl to call every place and every person they could think of who might be with him or know where Jimmy was. The list was very short and the three quickly reported that they had also failed to locate Jimmy. Although Cindy and Jacques had said nothing about the situation to the others they could instinctively sense that something was terribly wrong. Cindy rarely went out of her way to find Jimmy and her trying to do so could only mean major trouble.

__

Who would know where Jimmy was or how to find him? Cindy wondered. _Carl and Sheen are here, we've already checked with the Candy Bar, his lab doesn't have a phone, we can't ask Goddard, his parents – Wait a minute!_ Cindy's brow furrowed. Jimmy had once called Goddard on Libby's phone. That number might still be in Libby's phone log. If so, perhaps they could get Goddard to find Jimmy and bring him to the auditorium.

"Libby! Give me your cell phone!"

Libby complied, looking puzzled. "Well, OK, but you should really upgrade your plan if you can't stay within your minutes."

Cindy ignored her and began scanning her phone log. She quickly identified numerous calls made to her, several to various other girls at Lindbergh, one to Sheen (she'd have to remember to ask Libby about that later), various calls to stores, and, near the end, one to an unlisted number. With a gulp of hope Cindy hit the recall button and hit the button to dial.

She heard the call going through and without realizing it began counting the number of times the phone rang on the other end. Once, twice, three times…and then she heard the connection being made. "Goddard?" she asked.

From the other end she heard a bark.

"Goddard! Thanks goodness! Is Jimmy there?"

Silence.

Cindy realized her mistake. "Uh, one bark for yes, two for no."

In the receiver she heard one answering bark.

"Great! Goddard, put me on speakerphone. Please. It's important." From Goddard's end she heard a click. "Jimmy? Are you there?" There was no reply. Cindy thought she knew why. "Jimmy, I know what you must think, but this is important. _Please_ answer. We don't have much time."

From the other end she heard Jimmy's voice. "What is it, Vortex?"

"Jimmy, there's a problem here. A big one. I've read Jacques design notebook and there's something you have to know."

Jimmy's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Is it a cookbook?"

"What? No! Jimmy, Jacques' reactor is a breeder reactor. It generates more anti-matter, it's out of control, and we can't shut it down. In about –" She looked a Jacques.

"Ten minutes," Jacques said.

"- ten minutes it's going to lose containment and the breeder reaction will spread everywhere. I can't stop it. Jacques can't stop it. You're our only hope." She paused. "I know what you probably think about me right now, but I swear I never had anything to do with taking you energy cell. I know that I can't prove it. I just hope…that you can still believe me."

There was a very short silence in her receiver. Then she heard Jimmy's voice saying, "I'm on my way."

With full afterburners Goddard's Flycycle Turbo Mode had a top speed somewhere over half the speed of sound. At that speed Jimmy covered the two miles to school in just under 30 seconds, including takeoff, landing, and making his way to the auditorium. When he got there he found Jacques, Cindy, Libby, Sheen, and Carl gathered around the reactor with Cindy just finishing a summary of the situation.

"You're saying that the reactor is going to destroy Retroville?" asked Sheen when Cindy had finished.

"If we're lucky," she replied. "The anti-matter will continue to increase and wipe out Retroville, the planet, the solar system, and everything else it gets to."

"Jimmy? Are we going to…going to…" Carl whimpered.

"No way! Jimmy will save us. Right, Jimmy?" Libby asked hopefully.

Now that he was here Jimmy felt uncertain. "Well, I think so, but…Jacques, can we open the reactor to directly access the reaction?"

Jacques shook his head. "The safety interlocks would attempt to shut down the reactor at once. Containment would be lost immediately."

"Well, maybe we could dig a hole and bury it, like nuclear waste," suggested Sheen.

"This isn't like nuclear waste," Cindy answered. "Anything the anti-matter touches would be annihilated. The only thing that would be safe is more anti-matter."

"That's it!" cried Sheen. "We could build an anti-matter box to put the reactor in!"

"And we would put the anti-matter box…where?" Libby asked.

"Well, we could put that in another anti-matter box and…uh…umm…oh, right," Sheen replied, realizing the situation.

"Couldn't we shrink the reactor with Jimmy's shrink ray and flush it down the toilet or something?" asked Carl, blubbering slightly.

Jimmy shook his head. "No, Carl. If we shrank the reactor its containment field wouldn't be strong enough to contain the reaction. We'd just speed up the collapse of the field."

The situation seemed absolutely hopeless. Cindy fought to keep back the tears she felt welling up. "Jimmy," she said, her voice breaking a little, "if ever there was a time for one of your brain blasts, this is it."

Jimmy looked around at the others, seeing the hope fighting with despair in their faces as they waited for him to save the day. Cindy's face was the last, and her misery was almost too much for him to bear. "Okay," he muttered to himself, shutting his eyes tightly and concentrating. "Maybe you aren't the smartest kid in town anymore, but it's still your town. Come on! Think! Think! Think!"

_The only thing that would be safe is more anti-matter…_

Maybe we could dig a hole and bury it…

A hole so steep and deep that nothing can get out again…

Now the mass and weight of the object remains the same…

The box doesn't really have an inside or an outside…

"Brain blast!" he cried as the pieces came together. "Carl, Sheen, get my Chest of Mystery and the shrink ray. Libby and Jacques, get a table over here. Cindy, get me the energy cell."

"Okay, Jimmy," said Cindy, as she retrieved the cell from the reactor control circuitry and handed it to him. "But what are you going to do with all this stuff?"

"Make the only thing that can possibly stop this, Cindy," replied Jimmy. "We're going to create a black hole!"  


End of Part 10.

Author's Notes:

I just couldn't resist putting in the punchline to the reference "To Serve Man". If this is a spoiler for some of you, I apologize, but I have to get it in. The alien book titled "To Serve Man" was in fact a cookbook.

One person whom I think is vastly overlooked in Jimmy Neutron's world is Cindy. As well as being Jimmy's obvious romantic interest she's supposed to be the smartest kid in Retroville next to Jimmy. I keep trying to think of ways that she can prove it by actually being resourceful as well as cunning. In this chapter thinking of how to find Jimmy with time running out sort of demonstrates that quality.

In actuality this chapter and the last compressed about three chapters' worth of material into two. I try to keep the stories about 12 chapters long, with an epilog to wrap up loose ends, and to do that I had to figure out where to speed things up a little. Since we're coming to the climax I figured this was the best place to speed things up.


	11. Part 11 His Finest Hour

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 11:

Despite knowing Jimmy for years Cindy found she could still be stunned by things he said. "We're going…to make a…black hole?" was all she could get out.

"Yes," Jimmy replied as Carl and Sheen came up with the Chest of Mystery and shrink ray. "But only a little one," he hastened to add. "And just for a little while. Don't you see? The only thing the anti-matter won't react with is itself. And as Jacques said, it still has normal gravity. By using my shrink ray I can cause the reactor core to collapse into an anti-matter singularity and create a gravity well powerful enough to contain the anti-matter created by the breeder reaction."

Jacques and Libby had arrived with the table in time to hear this. "But won't the collapsing reaction only increase the rate of the anti-matter creation?"

"That's what I'm counting on," Jimmy answered grimly. "We need to have enough mass to create a strong enough gravity field." As the others watched Jimmy carefully positioned his Chest of Mystery on the table with its opened lid facing away from the reactor. "Okay, that should do it. The reaction core should be within the hyperspatial volume of my Moebius cube."

"I don't get it," remarked Sheen. "How are you going to shrink the anti-matter without opening the reactor?"

"Yeah," agreed Carl. "Jacques said that would be a bad thing."

"I don't need to open the reactor now. Like I told you before, this box has no real inside or outside. I've placed it so that the core is accessible through the box by way of the fourth dimension. Just like I was able to get Sheen's Ultra Lord doll –"

"Action figure!"

"- from outside the box." He moved around to the open end of the box and paused. "I won't lie to you. This is going to be risky. If you don't want to stay…well, I'll understand."

The others looked at each other for minute in silence. Then Cindy said, "I'm staying."

"Yeah, me too," said Sheen.

"I'm with you Jimmy," Libby added.

"And so am I," spoke up Carl.

"As for me, one for all, and all for one, yes?" concluded Jacques.

Jimmy smiled. "Thanks guys. Okay, everyone stand back. Goddard, scan for anti-matter emissions from the cube on a linear calibrated scale of 0 to 10. If the emissions get to 10, we've lost containment and it's all over." Goddard obediently activated a viewscreen which displayed a large "1". "Here goes!" And with that Jimmy pointed his shrink ray at the interior of the box and activated it.

At first nothing appeared to happen although Goddard's display quickly changed to a "2" and then a "3". Then they could hear a low noise of wind that grew quickly in volume and seemed to be coming from Jimmy's Chest of Mystery.

"It's working!" said Jimmy. "The reaction is collapsing and increasing the number of anti-matter emissions. The increased intensity of the gravity field is also beginning to pull air into the Moebius cube."

In a few seconds there was not doubt that the shrink ray was having an effect. The values on Goddard's display continued to increase, and the wind created by the air being pulled into the cube was approaching gale force. Jimmy braced with all his might against the increasingly powerful wind, but began sliding towards the cube as though being pulled into a jet engine. As he struggled vainly against the pull Goddard deployed the mechanical arm from his utility compartment, grabbed Jimmy by his belt and also braced against the pull.

It wasn't enough.

Seeing Goddard also being pulled forward, Cindy immediately seized Goddard's tail and pulled with all her might, and found herself also being carried away. Jacques, seeing Cindy slipping forward, instantly threw his arms around her waist and joined the battle against the rising wind. As she saw Jacques being pulled away Libby quickly threw her arms around him and fought to hold him back. When Sheen saw Libby losing ground he immediately put his arms around her and pulled with all his strength, and even that wasn't enough. Carl, seeing Sheen being dragged away as well, instantly began running in circles, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Cut out that racket and grab on, Carl!" Sheen yelled in annoyance.

Not knowing what else to do, Carl grabbed onto waistband of Sheen's pants and leaned backwards. With Carl's added weight the line came to a halt although the wind continued to build in sound and power, pulled in by the growing gravitational strength of the unseen singularity. Paper, pencils, and other loose debris were now being sucked into the box and the temperature in the auditorium was beginning to drop from the force of the winds. Cindy, right behind Goddard, stared at the anti-matter emissions display which had continued to climb was now at "8

__

This has got to work, she told herself desperately. _We're out of options._ As she told herself this, the display seemed to flicker briefly. Cindy watched, holding her breath, and saw the "8" fade away to be replaced by a "7"."It's working, Jimmy!" she called, watching her breath condense into a thick cloud in the chilling air.

Although Jimmy heard her, he made no sign of it. Closest to the source of the powerful winds it was all he could do to hang on to the shrink ray and continue to direct its energy into the hyperspatial Moebius cube. In addition to the powerful winds pushing him towards the cube he was aware of the growing pull from the gravity well emerging from within the box. Behind him he could hear Cindy calling out the readings from Goddard's anti-matter emissions display as they changed. The numbers continued to decrease, from "7" to "6" to "5", but with agonizing slowness.

"So tired," panted Carl.

"S-s-so cold," chattered Sheen.

"This has go to be Jimmy's worst idea ever," wailed Libby over the banshee shriek around them.

Cindy, downwind of the others, heard every word and gritted her teeth. From somewhere in the distance she thought she also heard footsteps running towards the auditorium, but ignored them. She was feeling the strain and cold, but she knew that the conditions for Jimmy, closest to the ravenous black hole growing inside the reactor, must be murderous. Raising her voice so that she could be heard above the deafening noise, she shot back, "With all due respect, Libby, I think that this will be Jimmy's finest hour."

Despite Cindy's encouraging words Jimmy wasn't feeling as confident. _This isn't working_, he thought frantically. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the others succumbed to the cold or exhaustion, or the energy cell in his shrink ray was depleted. As though to confirm his worst fears his shrink ray began to beep softly, indicating only a few more moments of operation. _We're out of options_, he thought, resigned to the situation. Looking back at Goddard, he apologized, "Sorry boy. This is one time you can't come with me."

Despite the noise Cindy heard what he said. "What are you –" she began to ask, and then realized what Jimmy planned to do. "NO!" she screamed.

"Goddard! Detach manipulator!" called Jimmy, bracing himself for what was about to happen.

Obediently Goddard severed the connection between the mechanical arm and hand with which he was holding Jimmy. Freed of the restraint, Jimmy immediately flew forward, seeming to stretch like taffy as he was pulled into the cube, still firing the shrink ray. As this occurred the reactor appeared to fold and collapse in on itself with a flash of light, followed immediately by the Chest of Mystery that also appeared to implode in a burst of brilliance.

Instantly the winds vanished, causing everyone to fall over backwards. Carl, Sheen, and Libby lay were they fell, gasping for breath, but Cindy staggered to her feet and moved slowly over to the table. Only a small square area surrounded by rime frost indicated where the box that had swallowed Jimmy had once been. As she stood there, staring numbly at the empty spot, Jacques came up behind her and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"I am very sorry," he faltered, after a moment's silence. "Your friend, he was very brave. He was truly a hero."

Cindy shook her head, telling herself that it was just the bitter cold that was making her nose run and eyes water. "No," she replied, her voice sounding strangely husky to her ears. "He wasn't just brave. He was more than a hero. He was…he was…Jimmy Neutron."

End of Part 11.

Author's Notes:

Apparently this chapter is actually the longest, but I think it reads fairly quickly. Believe it or not, it could actually have been _much_ longer, and I had to do a fair bit of editing to keep it this manageable. 

There are some classic lines that deserve to be repeated without fear of cheapening them. Astute readers will probably notice Cindy's paraphrasing of a line from "Apollo 13". Because of the events of this chapter, and the title "His Finest Hour", I felt that the quote was very appropriate.


	12. Part 12 The Greatest Trick Ever

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Part 12:

Cindy bit her lower lip, trying to keep it from trembling. _I'm dreaming_, she told herself. _I'm in my bed waiting for the alarm to wake me up for school._The alarm would go off soon, she knew, and she would go to school and play another prank to put Neutron in his place and she and Libby would laugh and Neutron would…Neutron would…

Jimmy wouldn't be there. He wouldn't be there tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, or any other day after those.

__

Not even Neutron could escape a black hole, she thought bleakly. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she realized that she had just defined the impossible not in terms of what Jacques couldn't do, but what Jimmy couldn't. It didn't seem to matter now. Nothing did. She seemed to be surrounded by a black mist, sensing rather than seeing the others gather around the table with her and Jacques. She became aware that the footsteps she had heard running down the hall had stopped at the auditorium door and were now approaching them. _It must be Miss Fowl_, she decided dully, feeling faint surprise that she could think of anyone but Jimmy at this moment. _She's here to see how the Science Fair preparations are going for tonight, as if that really meant anything now._What would they tell her? What could they tell Jimmy's parents? That their son had sacrificed himself in a black hole to save the world?

From somewhere in the darkness around her she heard Sheen's questioning voice. "Jimmy?"

Cindy shook her head and somehow summoned the will to to try to answer. "He's gone, Sheen. And he's not…he's not…"

"No," she heard Libby say. "Jimmy!" The way she said it made Cindy look up in surprise at her friend, and then behind her where Libby was pointing. Cindy squinted, trying to see through the mist in her eyes. It looked like…but it couldn't be…

But it was!

Jimmy!

Faced with so many shocks in one day Cindy's mind refused to keep working and she stood there as though Jimmy were Medusa herself and had turned her to stone. The rest of the kids were also unable to move or speak, sure that they were hallucinating. But Goddard leaped forward, knocking Jimmy down and licking his face. Jimmy laughed and petted the mechanical canine.

"Yeah, I missed you too, boy," he said as he got back up. "Oh, here's your hand back." Goddard reattached the severed device to his mechanical arm and retracted the assembly back into his utility compartment. "So, how did things work out here?" asked Jimmy, as though nothing had happened. "Did you miss me?"

Jimmy's nonchalant air was enough to snap Cindy out of her daze. "Miss you?" she repeated, a note of anger creeping into her voice. "Miss you? If you think for one minute your being sucked into a black hole actually mattered –"

"- you were right," Libby interrupted, understanding all too well that Cindy's anger was solely from her immense relief. "We thought you were gone for good."

"That's right," added Carl.

"Yeah, it was the greatest trick ever!" cried Sheen. "How did you do it?"

"Yes, what happened?" asked Jacques, looking puzzled. "I can see that you succeeded in creating a black hole, but where is it now?"

"Well," explained Jimmy, "once I was pulled into the Chest of Mystery I was close enough for the power left in my shrink ray to cause the final collapse of the reaction into a singularity. Once that happened it sucked in the reactor, and more importantly, my Moebius cube."

Every still looked puzzled.

"Don't you see?" asked Jimmy. "The singularity swallowed the cube. But the cube contained the singularity. Therefore -"

"Therefore," said Cindy in growing apprehension, "the singularity had to swallow itself."

"And since that is impossible…" continued Jacques, also catching on.

"…it created an existential paradox and ceased to exist," concluded Jimmy. "No more singularity, no more black hole."

"Brilliant," murmured Jacques. "Monsieur Jimmy, I salute you!" And with that he seized Jimmy by the shoulders and kissed him on both cheeks.

"Yes, well…" stammered Jimmy, blushing in embarrassment.

"But you were inside the cube when it got sucked in," said Sheen. "How did you get out?"

"I told you before, Sheen. There is no inside or outside. I was never really in the box."

"But why didn't the black hole get you? Even if you weren't 'inside' the box you were close enough for the gravity to pull you in," Cindy pointed out.

"Oh, that," said Jimmy. "I didn't really expect that, but when the singularity was created it interacted with the cube to form a chronospatial Einstein-Rosen bridge. That threw me back to where I was about twenty minutes ago, which was just enough of a delay to prevent me from meeting myself and creating another paradox when I ran back here to see what had happened."

Jacques nodded at this explanation. As for the others Cindy looked thoughtful, Libby appeared skeptical, Sheen seemed perplexed, and Carl was evidently totally confused.

Jimmy sighed. "It's magic," he said in resignation. "Let's go to the Candy Bar and get some hot chocolate. I'm freezing."

End of Part 12.

Author's Notes:

Sometimes even a boy genius needs a little luck (like a fortuitous Einstein-Rosen bridge) to escape certain doom, especially when I don't own the character. More to the point of the story I think that Jimmy proved his true character by letting himself be pulled into the Moebius cube when he didn't know he'd be getting out again. He may or may not be smarter than Jacques, but when the chips are down he's the boy genius I'd want by my side.


	13. Epilog We'll Always Have Retroville

The Real Big Brainy

by Gary D. Snyder

Epilog:

Because Jimmy had lost his shrink ray and the Moebius cube he needed for many of his planned tricks and Jacques' reactor was gone just whose science project was the best would remain a matter of debate for quite some time. Despite that the Science Fair went on. To everyone's surprise Carl won the prize for the best project, although not for his original theme of the evolution of llamas. Instead, he won for what Principal Willoughby called "the best presentation of scientific misinterpretation and hoaxes through history" that he had ever seen. He then suggested that Carl add the Fiji Mermaid and Piltdown Man to his project next time, leaving Carl thoroughly confused and in possession of a large gold trophy.

The next day was Saturday and while officially there was no school Miss Fowl and the entire class gathered at the airport to see Jacques off. There was the usual exchange of addresses, good-byes, and well-wishing between Jacques and the students. Jimmy was one of the last to bid him farewell.

"Good-bye, Jimmy," said Jacques. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. I will have quite a story to share when I get home. But it appears that there are some things that man truly was not meant to understand, no?"

"Of course not," spoke up Sheen. "Haven't you met any girls yet?" Libby, standing next to Sheen, punched him in the arm. "Ow! See?" he declared, pointing accusingly at Libby.

"I'm sure that you'll get it right when the right time comes," replied Jimmy, shaking Jacques hand. "If you ever need a hand, feel free to drop Cindy or me a line. We'd be happy to help."

"I appreciate that, my friend. Many thanks again." With that, he turned to Cindy. "I think I shall miss you most of all. Perhaps, someday, you can visit me in France?"

Cindy blushed and demurred, "Well, maybe. Someday. One never knows. But if not, we'll always have Retroville."

At this Jacques leaned forward as if to kiss her again, but Cindy leaned backwards and turned her head slightly at his approach. "Thank you, Jacques," she said, "but I think I'd like to keep my options open. I mean, you never know who I might meet by the time I'm twelve."

"See?" exclaimed Sheen, pointing at Cindy. Libby punched him again.

Jacques nodded in understanding. "Yes, I understand. _C'est la femme._ I am sure that someone quite deserving will come for you someday, never fear." With that he gave a quick glance at Jimmy, who was pantomiming sticking a finger down his throat. "Or perhaps he already has. Remember what I said."

Cindy looked at Jimmy, and then quickly looked away before either Jimmy or Jacques could read her expression.

Jacques smiled. "But for now, _au revoir, mon petite cheri!_ Perhaps some day I shall be back, and then, who can say? Good-bye, everyone! I shall remember you all!" And with that, amidst a chorus of "good-byes" and "bon voyages", he was gone.

Libby sighed. "There goes one nice guy," she said, watching Jacques until the last moment he was still in view.

"Yeah. Pretty nice," agreed Cindy, also watching.

Sheen couldn't stand it. "Hey, Libby," he said, "you know that next year there's going to be a dance. If you haven't, like, already made plans, would you go with me?"

Libby sighed, but somehow differently from how she had sighed just before. "I suppose you'd be better than nothing."

"Yes!" cried Sheen in bliss. "Finally, something that I'm better than! I – hey, wait a minute," he added, thinking. "Is nothing something? Because if it is, why do they call it nothing?"

"Then again, maybe I'll go stag," Libby remarked as she started walking away.

Sheen followed her. "No, wait! Don't do that. My dad has been teaching me all these cool dances from when he was young. You know – the Funky Chicken, and the Bump, and don't forget the Ultra Lambada…"

"Or maybe I won't go at all!" Libby said, just as she and Sheen passed out of earshot.

The other students began filing away as well and soon Cindy and Jimmy were the only students left. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am, Jimmy," Cindy said after a moment.

"Sorry?" Jimmy sounded surprised. "Sorry for what?"

It was hard to say, but Cindy got it out. "Sorry for treating you so badly this past week. I mean, I know that Jacques is so nice, and continental…"

"Uh-huh."

"…and suave, and romantic…"

"Yeah," said Jimmy, wishing that Cindy would get to the point.

"…and tall, and good-looking…"

"Okay, okay! I get the point!" Jimmy interrupted vehemently.

"But that really wasn't the point," Cindy hastened to say. "The real reason was because I wanted you to feel the way I felt when you became the smartest kid in school instead of me. It hurt a long time when that happened, and it took me a long time to forget about it. The problem was I forgot just how badly it would hurt you until yesterday when you thought I'd taken your energy cell. I'm so sorry." She paused, collecting her thoughts and then went on. "But I'll never forget the most amazing thing you did yesterday."

"Oh. You mean when I collapsed the breeder reaction into a singularity and saved the world."

"No. Not that."

"Then you must mean when I escaped the singularity through the Einstein-Rosen bridge."

Cindy shook her head again. "No. Not that either."

Jimmy was puzzled. "Then what?"

Cindy took a deep breath and then dove in. "The most amazing thing was, after everything I'd done, you still came back just because I asked you to believe me. That was the most amazing thing ever."

__

That Goddard is one smart dog, Jimmy thought, and smiled. "Well, actually, I never did do my most amazing trick." Cindy looked at him curiously. Looking very mysterious, Jimmy made a few mystical gestures and instantly a long-stemmed red rose appeared in his hand. This he gave to Cindy.

"Jimmy! Thanks," she said. She sniffed the flower. "How ever did you do that?"

"Aw, it's nothing, really. All you need to do is palm a few germ cells and use a portable time accelerator to speed up the metabolic processes."

Cindy rolled her eyes and began walking off. "Leave it to you to suck all the magic out of a romantic moment."

"I told you," Jimmy answered as he walked with her, "there's no such thing as magic."

"Especially when you're around, Neutron," Cindy sniped.

"And what's that supposed to mean, Vortex?" Jimmy demanded

"That you couldn't just once leave the science behind and go with the moment, you big jerk, that's what!" Cindy shot back.

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to go to the dance next year by yourself!" Jimmy retorted hotly.

"Well, who said I'd go with you?"

"Well, who said I'd ask?"

"You just said that –"

"I never said anything –"

Miss Fowl watched them until their argument faded into the distance. "It looks as though things are back to normal," she observed, then heaved a deep sigh. "Oh, how I miss Bolbi! Clap, clap, clap! Slap, slap, slap! Clap, clap, clap…"

THE END

Author's Notes:

When I first started writing this story I knew I had to try to make Jacques a fairly likeable guy. First of all I didn't want to have people think that I don't like people from France, although I did have some fun coming up with his name. From the viewpoint of the story, if he was a jerk there was no way that Cindy would ever consider him in a romantic light so that he would be Jimmy's romantic as well as intellectual rival. That would have made Cindy would look far too manipulative in having him try to show up Jimmy.

I enjoy writing epilogs, even more than the climax of the story and denouement. With the conflicts and problems resolved I can tie up some loose ends, have fun with the characters, and drop a hint or two about the way things are headed. I never try to nail things down too firmly because first, I don't own the charactes, and second, I'd like people to decide what happens afterwards themselves. That's really where the fun is. I hope whoever reads this had and will continue to have a fun ride.


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